July 20, 2007

Before, during and after the major prep hoop tourneys

Kevin McCarthy
 

Ever wonder what takes place among college coaching staffs prior, during and subsequent to the major prep basketball tourneys? Here’s your guide to the details, the background on the preparation and what comes out of watching kids hoop it up for consecutive days.

It’s where to see and be seen.

It’s about expanding your circle.

It’s a place to find just the right one or two or--gasp--even more.

We’re talking the upcoming July 22-26 prep basketball tournaments in Las Vegas: the Nike Main Event, the adidas Super 64 and the Reebok Summer Championships where, yes, playing the field is the norm.

NCAA regulations dictate that college coaches and the players not formally communicate at these events but advertising will definitely take place because making your presence known is one of the primary goals for all parties involved.

However, what happens in Vegas won’t necessarily stay there as some of the interested parties will sooner or later announce--or have announced for them--their future collegiate betrothal, if you will.

But, of course, there will be no love, honor and obey until all letter-of-intent paperwork is signed, sealed and delivered and the NCAA issues an official boarding pass allowing the prospect and school to enter into lawfully wedded bliss.

But that’s getting way ahead of ourselves.

THE WEEK BEFORE THE TOURNAMENTS

Here is what is happening with college coaching staffs this week prior to hitting Vegas. Do keep in mind that some head coaches place greater emphasis on other times of the year because the restrictions on contact eliminate any attempt at entering enter fullcourt press mode. It actually is a more valuable time for evaluating talent than actually recruiting.

• The prospects to be seen or be seen seeing are underlined, highlighted and ordered
• Who is playing for what team is being determined, a task tougher than it seems due to the constant player movement on club squads.
• Which days and times these players will be in action over the five days is worked up.
• Assignments are then divvied up, usually with the head coach to appear at the games featuring his top tier targets and new prospects to be evaluated--assistant coaches will also sometimes appear alongside the head coach but typically are assigned to make their presence known at the games of other possible targets and to keep watch for any heretofore unknown kids.
• Mapquest is being used extensively to determine distance and travel time between the multiple playing venues throughout the Vegas metropolitan area.
• But most importantly and do keep this in mind, many of the coaching staffs have already made decisions on who to offer come November--Vegas in July is first and foremost more appearance time to shore up or solidify interest but especially so to evaluate prospects for next time around, the 2008-2009 recruiting season.

THE WEEK OF THE TOURNAMENTS

Here is what generally takes place during tourney time:

• Some coaches and members of their staff fly in the day before but others arrive early on the day of the tournament.
• No names will be mentioned here but the car company of preference is the one that takes coaches the least amount of time to actually get behind the wheel of a vehicle and get to a gym, especially for those hitting Vegas on day one of the action.
• Depending on the number of kids to be scouted, coaches are on the move for over 12 hours a day since game starting times begin at 8:00 a.m. all the way to 8:30 p.m.
• Despite the average outside Las Vegas temperature being around 107* in late July, most of the gymnasiums being used for the tournament have air conditioning set to the frigid level--veteran tourney attendees advise newbies to dress warmly if any extensive watching is planned.
• It’s well known among college coaches that prior to the start of each game, players look at the seating section assigned specifically to coaching staffs in order to see which coaches are in the stands watching them--is it the coaches who have already expressed interest? Is anyone missing? Is there a new face or faces in the group?
• It’s also well known that prior to the start of each game, the parents of players do the very same and there can be negative consequences if any head coach who has previously paid a courtesy call is absent--some kids and their parents will simply cross a college off their list if a school commits the faux pas of not bothering to assign even an assistant coach to make an appearance.
• Coaching staffs get back together for dinner late each evening to compare notes, where plans can be modified depending on which kids played well, which didn’t, which prospects didn’t make the expected appearance with their travel team and if any talents were newly discovered and deserve a second look.

THE WEEK AFTER THE TOURNAMENTS

Call this an official comparing of notes as fluidity reigns supreme among all parties in recruiting:

• With NCAA rules mandating no more than three coaches be off campus for recruiting purposes at one time, a full staff meeting is necessary to bring the absent coaches up to speed on existing and new target players.
• Depending on many factors, a re-prioritization of recruiting targets is sometimes called for--coaches consider how certain kids played, good or bad, during tourney week--who ‘blew up’ and is now worth pursuing, who moved out of reach, who is under the radar, under-recruited but now a worthwhile and appropriate target, who may have verbally committed elsewhere in the meantime, etc.

Do keep in mind that there is a wide spectrum of talent evaluation and recruitment outside of a few days in Las Vegas. Players make official but oftentimes more important, unoffical visits, to campuses. Kids near the locale of a school come to play in open gym settings. Coaches hold elite player camps on campus, inviting players of interest and others.

Also, the relationships between a college coaching staff and a kid’s high school and/or club team coaches can be paramount in even getting into the running for a prospect. College coaches definitely make an effort at developing and maintaining working relationships with these persons of influence.

Finally, there’s a plethora of other tournaments at which to see and evaluate kids, plus the entire high school season.

But three tourneys at once, throwing in Las Vegas, well, that’s an irresistable combination.

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